Air-refueling capability and sealift recapitalization are among the many largest issues for sustaining the U.S. army’s uneven logistical dominance, Air Drive Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost mentioned at a uncommon listening to of two Home Armed Companies’ subcommittees at this time.
The overall and retired Navy Rear Adm. Ann C. Phillips, administrator of the Transportation Division’s Maritime Administration, testified earlier than the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces and the Subcommittee on Readiness.
U.S. Transportation Command has been instrumental in getting the army capabilities Ukraine so desperately must Europe. On the similar time, the command nonetheless has worldwide tasks it can not ignore. An instance of how the command should surge at a second’s discover is the response to latest earthquakes in Turkey. The command labored with the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth and the State Division to get urgently wanted provides and personnel into the affected areas. On the similar time, ships nonetheless needed to sail within the Indo-Pacific, troops nonetheless needed to eat in Syria, gear nonetheless needed to get to Ukraine.
“I’m extraordinarily pleased with our crew of logistics professionals who lead the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise, frequently exceeding expectations and guaranteeing hope, deterrence and victory are assured as we contribute to our nation’s protection,” Van Ovost mentioned. “From competitors to disaster, the whole enterprise proudly delivers for our nation, our allies and our companions.”
Van Ovost informed the representatives that the USA “should protect our logistical dominance. Our natural fleet, together with our business transportation companions, should proceed to current credible deterrence and requires proactive efforts to recapitalize and modernize,” she mentioned. “My highest issues lie in reductions in capability and readiness in each sealift and air refueling.”
The overall informed the representatives that the U.S. army is a era late in recapitalizing the prepared sealift fleet to satisfy U.S. nationwide targets. “The typical age of the 44 roll-on/roll-off ships we use to surge from the continental U.S. is 44 years outdated,” she mentioned. “In truth, 17 of the 44 ships are 50 years or older.”
She mentioned she helps the Navy’s technique to purchase used sealift vessels on the business market. She requested the representatives to provide the secretary of protection “discretionary authority to buy foreign-built, used ships underneath favorable market circumstances with out limitation on quantity.”
Congress has acted and authorised funding for a sealift recapitalization effort. “I’m heartened by the present progress on the primary 5 ships,” she mentioned. “We have now additionally taken steps to handle the division’s shortfall in assembly wartime gas supply calls for and the susceptible place of continued reliance on using foreign-flag, foreign-crewed tanker vessels.”
Transcom works with the Maritime Administration to implement the Tanker Safety Program. This can present assured entry to U.S. flagged tankers and start to cut back threat in sealift tanker capability.
Van Ovost can also be involved in regards to the challenges in recruiting and retaining civilian mariners.
The overall mentioned the air refueling fleet “is our most burdened functionality.” That fleet is essential to sustaining U.S. logistical dominance, and Van Ovost mentioned she helps Air Drive efforts to modernize it. “Transcom helps the Air Drive’s continued efforts in direction of targeted modernization of the fleet, uninterrupted tanker recapitalization, and accelerated pursuit of the following era air refueling system to make sure our capability and readiness stays credible to cowl simultaneous world necessities,” she mentioned.
The command should be totally built-in into all operations. “Future operations will even require excessive levels of battlespace consciousness and leveraging information to align scarce mobility assets with the best strategic want,” the final mentioned. “Integration into battle networks, resourcing cryptographic modernization, cybersecurity and guaranteeing resilient positioning, navigation and timing are amongst my high priorities.”